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The Historical Society of Berks County. 



Pilgrimage to Oley Valley, 

Saturday Afternoon, September 27, 1913. 



1.— THE LINCOLNS AND THE LINCOLN HOUSE. 

Samuel Lincoln, first of the ancestral line of President Lincoln in America, 
came from Norwich, England, in 1637, and settled at Hingham, Mass., where other 
Lincolns had settled earlier. 

This Samuel had a sou Samuel, who was second of the line. The third of the 
line was Mordecai, an ironworker, born KioT, died 1727. The fourth of the line, also 
named Mordecai, was also an ironworker, removed from Massachusetts to Monmouth 
Couuty, New Jersey, prior to 1714. He came to Pennsylvania in 1720 ; settled first 
in Chester County, and was there associated with Samuel Nutt and William Branson 
in iron works on French Creek. In 1730 he purchased 1000 acres of laud in Amity 
Township, Exeter Township being then, and until 1741, a part of Amity. 

The old Lincoln house in Exeter Township, Berks Couuty, is near the line of the 
Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, one mile below Lorane Station. The house was 
built by Mordecai Lincoln, great-great-grandfather of President Lincoln, about 17.33. 
As with many of the old stone houses that are yet standing, this original building 
was added to in later years. The first building was 16 by 301^ feet. 

Mordecai Lincoln died in Ma.v, 1736. His descendants continued to own and 
occupy the house for many years. 

The house is peculiar in that it was not built near a spring as were most of the 
early houses. The property at jiresent comprises sixty-one acres, and is now owned 
by Dr. Herr of Reading. 

Mordecai Lincoln had four sons; one of them, John, who was the great-grand- 
father of President Lincoln, left Berks Couuty in 1765, going to the Shenandoah 
Valley in Virginia. 

Mordecai's youngest son, Abraham, was born five months after the father's 
death, and lived in this house sixty-nine years. He was prominent in County and 
State affairs, and, as stated by Learned, was chosen to make the address to Wash- 
ington in Philadelphia after the close of the Revolution. 

In the eighteenth century the Lincolns of Hingham, Mass., had already produced 
men of note in various professions, among them General Benjamin Lincoln of the 
Revolutionary Army ; and Levi Lincoln, Attorney-General of the T'uited States and 
Lieutenant-Governor of Massachusetts. After the death of Levi Lincoln in 1820, a 
newspaper obituary notice states that at a memorable court trial it was " the irre- 
sistible eloquence of Lincoln which first broke the fetters of negro slavery in 
Massachusetts and let the oppressed free." 

2. THE DANIEL BOONE BIRTHPLACE. 

William Penn, on August 14th and loth, 1682. sold to John Millington and wife 
Mary at Shrewsbury, England, five hundred (500) acres of land situated in his 
Province of Pennsylvania. This land later became vested in Ralph Asheton of 
Philadelphia. Asheton on November 20, 1730, sold 250 acres of it to Squire Boone 
of Philadelphia County. Boone here erected a log dwelling-house over a spring, and 
in this house his son Daniel was born October 22d, - ITO^ ^- /7<3^ 

In confirmation of his purchase of 1730, Squire Boone received on April 10th, 
1750, the survey and patent for tlie 250 acres, and on the next day Boone sold this 
land, described then as in Exeter Township, Philadelphia County, to William Mau- 
gridge, Exeter Township in 1752 became a part of the newly formed County of 
Berks. 

About 1750, Squire Boone taking his family with him removed South. In 1755 
he was living in a cabin he had built near the Yadkin River at Holman's Ford, about 
midway between the present towns of Salisbury and Lexington, North Carolina. 
There he died January 2d, 1765. He was the father of nine children. 

After the removal of Squire Boone, a two-story stone house was built against 
the eastern end of the log house in Exeter Township. In the year 1779, the log 
house was removed, and on its still firm foundation-walls was built the super- 






striK-turo of au oxteusiou to the stone house, 
the two separately erected stone parts now 
standhig as one house. 

All that remains of the house in which 
Daniel Boone was born are its cellar walls, 
the stone flooring of the cellar, and some of 
the material that was built into the stone 
house. 

The old log house was long remembered 
because of the portholes in it. It was some- 
times called Boone's fort, though probably 
there had never been occasion to use it as a 
defence against Indians. 

When Daniel Boone was but a little past 
middle age. he twice came to Exeter to visit 
the place of his birth. His first visit was in 
October. 1781. In February, 1788, he came 
again, accompanied this time by his wife Re- 
becca and son Nathan. 

When Roone was living in Missouri, and 
then nearly seventy years of age, he was 
visited by Audubon, the naturalist, who was 
greatly impressed by the man and wrote this 
of him : 

'• The stature and general appearance of 
this wanderer of the western forests ap- 
proached the gigantic. His chest was broad 
and prominent, his muscular powers dis- 
played themselves in every limb; his counten- 
ance gave indication of his great courage, en- 
terprise, and perseverance ; and when he 
spoke the very motion of his lips brought 
the impression that whatever he uttered could 
not be otherwise than strictly true." 

On Se])tember 26th, 1820, when in the 
eighty-seventh .vear of his age, Daniel Boone 
died at Charette village, Missouri, and was 
there buried. In 1845 his remains were re- 
moved to Frankfort, Kentucky. 

The fame of I)auiel Boone, hunter, pioneer, 
and Indian fighter, is growing. In Berks 
County, the birthplace of this remarkable 
man, but little has been done to perpetuate 
his memory. 
3.— EXETER FRIENDS' MEETING-HOUSE. 

One of the first Quaker meeting-houses in 
Pennsylvania, outside of Philadelphia, was 
erected in 172(;. in that part of Oley Township 
which is now Exeter Towniship. It was a log 
building. In 17H7 a larger meeting-house w^as 
erected, also built of logs. The second meet- 
ing-house was demolished about one hundred 
years ago. when the present stone building 
was erected. The first meeting-house stood 
near the corner of the field across the road 
west of the present meeting-house. 

On December 24th, 173G, George Boone and 
wife Deborah deeded to the Friends one acre 
of ground for a meeting-house and burying- 
place. The first meeting-house, which stood 
across the way, was on a corner of this same 
one-acre piece, the road now separating the 
plots being cut through in later years. The 
burial-ground is south of the meeting-house. 

(Continued on last paijc.) 



Itinerary. 



12.30— Leave Historical Society Buildhij 
7 miles. 

1.15 — Leave. — Run to Daniel Boone's Birt 
2.00 — I^eave. — Run to Friends' Meeting-Ii( 
2.15 — Leave. — Run to Geo. Boone House, 
2.45 — Leave. — Run to Oley Churches. 5 u 
3.45 — Leave. — Run to Col. John Lesher's 
4.15 — Leave. — Run to Gen. Daniel Fdree 
5.00 — Leave. — Run to Friedensburg, 2% n 
5.45 — Supi)er at Oley Valley Hotel, MahU 
to Reading, 9 miles. 




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The line separatiiii: Exotor from the older townsliip of Amity runs through 
the Friends' hurying-plat-e. Exeter Townshiji was formed in 1741; tlie survey 
of the lines on the draft presented with the petition for the new towiisliip wa.s 
made by (Jeorfjre Boone, Esq. 

The meml)ership of the once flourishing Exeter Meeting has for many years 
been diminishing in number, there being at this time but three members, all of them 
of the Lee family. 

By bequ(>st a fund has been provided whicli sutliees to Iceep the property in 
order. No meetings have been held in the house for about ten years. 

4.— GEORGE BOONE HOUSE. 

George Boone, third of the name George of whom there is record, was born in 
England in KUKj. and came to America in 1717. He first settled at North Wales in 
Philadelphia County. In 1720 he i-emoved to Exeter Township (now in Berks 
County) and there built a log dwelling-house. He had nine children, one of them, 
Squire by name, was the father of Daniel Boone. 

His log house stood by the roadside a little distance southwest of the present 
stone building known as the " Old George Boone house" ; half a mile from Oley Line 
Hotel. He built the stone house in 1733 but never lived in it himself, as he consid- 
ered it too grand for a man of his simple tastes. One of his sons, also named George, 
occupied tlie new house. When he died, in 1744, his body was carried into the new 
liouse and from there to his burial. The two Georges, father and son, became the 
owners of large tracts of land in this vicinity. There is a story that before the 
elder George came to America, William Penu ottered to sell to him all that remained 
unsold of the Province of Pennsylvania. 

The date 1733 on the stone at the uoi'theast corner of the building has the let- 
ters I. H. following it. These two letters were put there long after the house was 
built. More than one hundred and fifty years ago at this house, standing then 
just as it does now, a bold robbery took place. 

5.— AT OLEY CHURCHES 
Rev. Henry A. Stahk will tell some interesting facts about the old churches and 
about Col. John Lesher. 

0.— GENERAL DANIEL UDREE. 

Daniel Udree was born in I'hiladelphia in 1751. His uncle became interested 
in iron works in Berks Count.v about 17(>S, and sent Udree to act as clerk for him. 
In this capacity he first resided on the Moselem Forge property in Richmond Town- 
ship. In 1778 Udree was part owner of Oley Furnace. Subsequently he became sole 
owner of the furnace, and also of the Rockland Forges, with a lauded estate em- 
bracing tw^enty-seven hundred acres. 

He was a public-spirited man. During the Revolutionary War he was a Colonel 
of Berks County Militia, and in several campaigns was in active service. At the 
battle of Brandywine, while commanding his regiment, his horse was shot under 
him. He was actively interested in military affairs and became Major-General of 
the Militia of BerlvS and Dauphin counties. He was for several terms a member of 
the Pennsylvania General Assembly. He also represented Berks County in the United 
States Congress for two terms, 1813-15 and 1823-25. 

His public duties did not hinder careful supervision of his business interests. 
His large flour mill, built in 1823, is still in good running order. In his last years 
he was the largest taxpayer in Berks County. Stricken with apoplexy, he died sud- 
denly at his home on the Oley Furnace property, July 15, 1828, in his 77th year, 
leaving to survive him a daughter, Maria, married to Jacob Udree Snyder, to whom 
his valuable estate descended. His body was interred in the cemetery of the Oley 
churches. 

After the death of General Udree the heirs entered on a course of what might 
almost be termed high life. The mansion was greatly enlarged. As many as four 
span of driving horses were added to the establishment. The adjoining low ground 
about tu'o hundred feet square was put into park-like order. The place became noted 
for its abundant hospitality. Carriages from as far away as Philadelphia brought 
guests. The industries continued to bring in revenue, but, lacking the former care- 
ful management, in a few years the outgo largely exceeded the income. In the 
short space of fifteen years most of the splendid estate had been wasted. 

A full-length, life-size portrait of Genei-al Udree is in the keeping of the His- 
torical Society of Berks County. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



014 207 670 6 • 



